This article takes the form of a conversation between an anthropologist and seven interpreters who worked for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) during its mission in Nepal (2005–2011). As any human rights or humanitarian worker knows quite well, an interpreter is essential to any field mission; they are typically the means by which ‘internationals’ are able to speak to any local person. Interpreters make it possible for local events to be transformed into a globally legible register of human rights abuses or cases. Field interpreters are therefore crucial to realizing the global ambitions of any bureaucracy like the UN. Yet rarely do human rights officers or academics (outside of translation studies) hear from interpreters themselves about their experience in the field. This conversation is an attempt to bridge this lacuna directly, in the hope that human rights practitioners and academics might benefit from thinking more deeply about the people upon whom our knowledge often depends.

中文翻译：

---

解读人权领域：对话

本文采用人类学家和七名在联合国人权事务高级专员办事处 (OHCHR) 在尼泊尔执行任务期间（2005-2011 年）工作的口译员之间的对话形式。任何人权或人道主义工作者都非常清楚，口译员对于任何实地任务都是必不可少的；它们通常是“国际人员”能够与任何当地人交谈的方式。口译员可以将当地事件转化为全球范围内清晰可见的侵犯人权或案件登记册。因此，现场口译员对于实现像联合国这样的官僚机构的全球雄心至关重要。然而，人权官员或学者（翻译​​研究之外）很少从口译员那里了解他们在该领域的经验。